Bindi Irwin’s emotional tribute to Steve on special anniversary

Bindi Irwin posted an emotional tribute on the anniversary of her dad proposing to her mother. Source: Getty

He’s been dead for 12 years but Steve Irwin remains one of the biggest icons in Australia. Today is a particularly special day for his family and friends, given that it’s the anniversary of the date that he first proposed to Terri Irwin.

His adoring daughter, Bindi, took to Twitter to share a heartfelt tribute to her father. “26 years ago Dad proposed to Mum,” she wrote. “The most beautiful love story. The greatest parents. True soulmates.”

With her moving words, the 19-year-old posted a collage of her favourite photos of her parents. In one, a young Terri and Steve could be seen cuddling a beloved family pet. Another sees the pair snuggling up to a beautiful Australian koala, while a further photo showed the couple smiling from ear-to-ear.

Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, also dedicated a special post to the couple on Facebook. “This time 26 years ago Steve proposed to Terri in the middle of the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park,” the post read. “From tiny beginnings, they grew that park into the now enormous Australia Zoo. The tree where they were first engaged is still standing here. Such a special love story of the greatest Wildlife Warriors in the world.”

Even Terri Irwin, who will understandably be feeling sad today, described Steve as her “happily ever after”. Despite constant articles in trashy tabloid magazines that link her to Hollywood hunks such as Russell Crowe, Terri, 53, said that she hadn’t been in a relationship for more than 10 years and that she doesn’t plan on dating any time soon.

“I think it’s wonderful when people who have lost someone find love again, but I’m not personally looking, and I haven’t been on a date in 27 years,” she explained in an interview with People Magazine. “In fact, it’s been so long, I’ve had a couple of lovely women ask me out because they figured that’s the case. But I’m content. I have two beautiful kids, a really full plate. I’ve already had my happily ever after.”

It’s not the first time Bindi has spoken highly of her dad. During a recent series of Dancing With The Stars in America, which she won, the 19-year-old broke down in tears after dedicating a dance to her late father. “What shaped me the most would probably be when my dad passed away,” she said on the show in 2015. “I’ve never really dwelled on that point when he did pass away. So I think I’m ready to kind of tell that story.”

She recalled that she wanted to be just like her father as a child and that she still feels like that after all these years.

Are you a fan of the Irwin family? Do you remember being proposed to, or popping the question?